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Short-Eared Owl
The Short-Eared Owl (or Asio Flammeus) is a medium-sized eared owl with a whole bunch of history, like all the other owls in the world. History and Trivia: The Short-Eared Owl was first officially described by Danish bishop and amateur naturalist Erich Ludvigsen Pontoppidan in 1763. This owl got its name because it has very small, yet visible ears which allows it to fall into the genus of ''Asio'', which is the genus of eared owls. The Latin word Flammeus means fiery, flaming, or the color of fire. Likewise, a few nicknames occur for this owl: Grass Owl, Meadow Owl, Mouse Hawk, Flat-Faced Owl, Marsh Owl and Swamp Owl. This owl is not endangered. Description: ''' The Short-Eared Owl, as said before in the article, is a medium-sized eared owl, or Asio (owl). It has bright yellow eyes with black feathers surrounding them and a pale grey, white, or buffy facial disks. Another distinguishing characteristic in this owl is it's bill, which is black and rather large for its head. It has a mostly white underside with thin streaks of brown. As you look farther up the body, the brown marks get increasingly thicker until it takes up most of the white. Since this owl prefers open grasslands, meadows, and prairies, their plumage creates a great camouflage when hunting. The Short-Eared Owls' wings are mostly brown, but have blotches and specks of white. Females, like most owls, are larger than males. Short-Eared Owls have a wide range of lengths from 33-43 centimeters. An average male wingspan is 105 centimeters and the average female wingspan is 107 centimeters. The weight of this owl varies from 7-17 ounces, which is rather light for the owls' volume. '''Call: The Short-Eared Owls' call varies largely. They are quiet compared to most owls. But they do have calls. The males' territorial call is a pulsing "voo-hoo-hoo!" This is usually called when the males' are in flight displays, and the female returns with a call; a barking "kee-ow!". Both sexes give an hoarse "chee-aw" sound when disturbed in their particular nesting area. When excited near the nesting area, both sexes will screech, squawk, bark, and squeal. 'Habits and Hunting: ' The Short-Eared Owl is a specialist in hunting voles. This owl, however, has the unique way of carrying food. Unlike most owls, who carry their prey in their beaks, the Short-Eared Owl carries its prey in its talons, rather like an eagle with a fish. It is generally nocturnal, but can often become active about an hour or 30 minutes before dusk. Some Short-Ears' are active during daylight in breeding season. The Short-Eared Owl flies with deep, sluggish, rowing wingbeats and flies with stretched wings, gliding, when crossing an open landscape. Short-Eared Owls generally hunt at night, morning, and late afternoon. They fly over open areas 3-5 feet above the ground and pounce when they are in striking distance of prey. When vegetation is very dense and thick, they hover over the spotted prey for a long period of time, facing in the wind, and then they pounce on it. They also hunt from a perch. Small mammals are its favorite prey, voles inparticular. They will also take pocket gophers, deer mice, moles, rats, and small squirrels. They will take other birds, but not nearly as frequently as they do small fur-bearing mammals. They will occasionally take insects such as roaches, grasshoppers, katydids, and caterpillars. When hunting in the same grassland, Northern Harriers often harrass the Short-Eared Owl. 'Breeding: ' Breeding for an owl is a spectactular challenge. The owl preforms spectacular flight displays and amazing aerial "acrobatics". The Short-Eared Owl nests on the ground, unlike most other owls. They are usually formed in the shelter of a grass mound. Nests are loosely constructed by the female. She scrapes a spot on the ground and lines the scrape with grass stems, her own feathers, and other useful material. Clutches range from 4-14 (5-7 average). The larger clutches are mainly laid when food abundance is high. The eggs are laid every 1-2 days, and incubation starts on the first laid egg. The female is the one who mainly does the task, with the male bringing food back and occasionally taking over the job of incubating. Young mature faster than many other owls; as soon as 12 days they start wandering from the nest. This is so because the nest is located on the ground, and the sooner the young mature, the less time they are vulnerable to predators looking from up high. The young fledge at about 4 weeks. The Short-Eared Owl routinely lays replacement clutches since the danger of predators is high. Since reproductive success is rather poor, they lay replacement to also raise the population after a certain decline. The Short-Eared Owl is highly migratory, and movements have been recorded up to 1,200 miles. Communal winter roosts have been known to have 200+ owls 'Mortality: ' Short-Eared Owls in the wild can live up to 13 years. Natural enemies include a lot of raptors like the Bald Eagle, Northern Goshawk, Gryfalcon, and the Red-Tailed Hawk. The Snowy Owl is also a wild enemy of the Short-Eared Owl. Since they nest on the ground, they are vulnerable to many mammalian predators such as dogs, skunks, and coyotes. Also, crows, ravens, gulls and more will steal eggs if they get the chance. Fatalities related to humans include airplane hittings and road kills. 'Habitat: ' The Short-Eared Owl lives in almost all open spaces. Examples would be prairies, open grasslands, and meadows. They live throughout North America and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. (Reference: The Owl Pages)